Man drives off with gas pump hose dangling from car

A motorist in Hong Kong was caught on camera speeding down a highway with a gas pump hose still attached to his car.

According to a video doing the rounds online, a Mercedes Benz user forgot to remove the gas nozzle from his car’s fuel tank after filling up the vehicle at a petrol station on Monday. [See the video]

As he drove off, the hose came loose from a petrol pump and began a journey along with the car.

The driver was apparently unaware of what had happened, but passing motorists were shocked as they noticed the long hose swinging in the wind like a snake as the car was moving along.

A person surnamed Chow captured the scene on camera and posted it online, claiming the incident took place at about noon on a highway in Tai Po.

According to Chow, he sighted the very rare scene when he was driving toward Kowloon on the Tolo Highway, Apple Daily reports.

Fearing that the dangling hose could hit passing vehicles or cause an explosion, Chow flashed the warning light of his car to the Mercedes driver in a bid to alert him.

Friction between the hose and the ground could have caused sparks and resulted in the Mercedes catching fire, Chow noted.

Fortunately, the Mercedes driver, who was an elderly man, noticed Chow’s warning and pulled over.

After inspecting the vehicle, he detached the nozzle and the hose, averting a potential disaster.

Based on the plate number, Apple Daily found the luxury car was registered under the address of an apartment at Royal Green estate in Sheung Shui.

A woman living in the apartment told the paper that the car was registered under her husband’s name but the driver in the clip was her father.

It is not known how the driver failed to notice the attached nozzle before pulling out from the gas station.

The traffic department of New Territories North Regional Police Headquarters is following up on the matter.

Dr. Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, chairman of The Institute of The Motor Industry Hong Kong, said the Mercedes driver, careless or not, put other drivers in danger.

Oil leaking from the nozzle could have caused the road to be slippery and resulted in casualties, he told Ming Pao Daily.

According to the Road Traffic Regulations, the driver of a running vehicle should ensure that any load is properly secured to or contained inside the vehicle. Anyone who fails to do so without reasonable explanation could face a fine or jail time.

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